Children's Home run by Compass Children‟s Homes Limited in Kent

Inspection report for children's home: 2629861 1 Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is privately owned. The home provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2629861 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/07/2022 Full Good 09/03/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: 2629861 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children love living at the home. They have strong relationships with the staff. These relationships are developed by staff spending quality time with children. Staff help children to live busy lives, taking them to activities and going on holidays. Away from the home, children spend quality time with friends and family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have made good progress from their starting points and have developed their social and emotional skills. Staff have meaningful conversations with the children and use fun educational activities to support children’s progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children’s educational needs. Children are in school full time and are achieving well. The children have clear aspirations for the future and staff support and encourage these aspirations. Outside school, children are encouraged to develop their independence, with one child having a weekend job.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to make healthier choices. As a result, children have made progress with their health by either stopping or reducing smoking.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff celebrate diversity with children. The staff team is diverse and staff explore different cultures and beliefs with children. This work is helping one child to develop their own identity. Religious celebrations are discussed with children in ‘get-together meetings’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are involved in the day-to-day decisions in the home and they can access an advocate if they wish. They know how to make complaints and when they do, these are taken seriously and children receive a written response. Staff routinely listen to children and consider their views.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff know the children well and understand the risks for children. There are good plans in place to reduce these risks. Staff are creative in helping children identify and understand risks. For example, staff are working well to help children understand sexual health and healthy relationships. Children are developing an understanding of risks.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children benefit from clear rules and expectations. The manager is effective and fair when applying these rules with children. Consequences are restorative or used to help educate children about risks. The manager has good oversight of consequences to ensure that they are effective.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Allegations are well managed. Managers work effectively with partner agencies to investigate allegations. Safeguarding practices are well documented and tracked, Inspection report for children's home: 2629861 4 with clear management oversight. The manager works with partner agencies to create safety plans for children.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff know how to keep children safe online. Plans are in place to reduce online risks to children. Staff complete regular checks on children’s electronic devices. However, safety checks for these devices are not always recorded.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is permanent, experienced and registered with Ofsted. She is working towards a relevant qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has a clear vision for the home and high aspirations for children. The manager has a deep understanding of the children’s histories and progress. She has made a significantly positive impact on children’s lives since being in post.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager works closely with the responsible individual. Together, they have impressive oversight of the home. There are highly effective and well-developed quality assurance processes in place to monitor the quality of care for children. As a result, the quality of care has improved significantly since the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers are committed to learning from events. The manager reviews physical interventions and speaks to children to improve practice. The manager has improved the assessments when new children move into the home. This has resulted in a better experience for new children who come to live at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

When children have not settled, the manager has reviewed the child’s placement. Staff work to ensure that children move on from the home in a positive way. Leaders have used the organisation’s therapists to improve the quality of the local authority’s referral. There is a commitment to understanding children’s needs and ensuring that they have the care they require.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are well supported through supervision and the induction processes. The manager provides high-quality inductions to new staff. Staff are well trained to care for the children and the organisation’s therapist helps staff apply training to practice. Practice concerns are quickly identified and a period of probation is used to ensure that suitable staff are working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers have very good working relationships with partner agencies. Staff work in an open way with social work staff to ensure that the children’s needs are understood and met. The manager is highly thought of by social care professionals and the communication is excellent. Inspection report for children's home: 2629861 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all children’s case records (regulation 36) must be kept up to date. This includes the recording of safety checks carried out on children’s devices. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.3)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children's home: 2629861 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Compass Community Ltd, 3 Rayns Way, Syston, Leicester LE7 1PF

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Inspector

Mark Dawkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2629861 7 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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